Automatic milking

ABSTRACT

An arrangement for the automatic application of milking apparatus to a milk animal including a milking apparatus store, a milking apparatus handling device including a milking apparatus carrier movable on the device and a teat sensor on the handling device together with at least one animal position sensor and a control unit responsive to the animal and teat sensor to operate the handling device, the arrangement being such that when an animal is sensed to be in milking position the control unit operates the handling device to take milking apparatus for a teat of the animal from the store in the carrier to a specific teat with the carrier moved to a sideways offset at a selected angle to the device and the teat sensor in range of the teat.

This invention relates to the automatic application of milking apparatusto a milk animal such as a cow or a goat but is not restricted to these.

Techniques for the automatic application of milking apparatus are known,for example published patent Applications GB 2226941 (NRDC), EP 0213660(Multinorm), EP 0300115 (DUVELSDORF), FR 2595197 (CEMAGREF) and thedocuments mentioned therein. In these techniques an automatic device,which includes or can acquire a milking apparatus such as one or moreteat cups, follows the general movement in a stall of the animal to bemilked to guide the milking apparatus to the general area of the udderof the animal and then uses a localised sensing apparatus to guide themilking apparatus on to an appropriate teat. It is well-known thatcleanliness is vital for milking techniques but so far little attentionhas been given to the cleanliness problems that may arise in automaticmilking.

It is an object of the present invention to provide automatic milkingtechniques in which cleanliness is easier to maintain.

According to the invention there is provided an arrangement for theautomatic application of milking apparatus to an animal characterised bya milking ;apparatus store, a milking apparatus handling deviceincluding a milking apparatus carrier movable on the device and a teatsensor on the handling device together with at least one animal positionsensor and a control unit responsive to the animal and teat sensors tooperate the handling device, the arrangement being such that when ananimal is sensed to be in milking position the control unit operates thehandling device to take milking apparatus for a teat of the animal fromthe store in the carrier to a specific teat with the carrier moved to asideways offset at a selected angle to the device and the teat sensor inrange of the teat.

The carrier may be movable to turn a milking apparatus taken inverted tobe upright. The teat sensor may be an open-jaw sensor effective to sensethe teat by a sideways approach. The handling device may include a pivotand said carrier may be movable about said pivot between an inverted andan upright position and operable to acquire inverted milking apparatusfrom said store and said carrier may be effective by a single pivotaction both to turn the acquired inverted apparatus upright and toposition the upright apparatus offset from the handling device.

The handling device may include a guided elongate support member havingpivoted at an outward end said carrier in the form of a teat-cupgripper, the axis of the pivot for the gripper being inclined at anangle to the elongate member but generally in the horizontal plane ofthe member. The angle may be approximately 45°. The support member mayhave at an inboard end a drive for said carrier and a drive shaft withinthe member to transmit drive to said carrier.

Conveniently the milking apparatus is individual teat cups hung invertedin a store by the milk hose alone and after release retractable intosaid store by pulling with the milk hose. The milk hose may be siamesedor otherwise combined with the pulsator hose. The milking apparatus maybe individual teat cups each on a respective milk hose and held in astore to be above the level of the floor of a rear part of a stall atthe milking position and beneath a raised front part of the stall. Theindividual teat cups may be taken from the store through a step in thefloor of the stall to a raised front part of the stall floor.

The milking apparatus store may be at any convenient place adjacent or,if protected, within the stall. The store may be outside the stalladjacent the position of the fore or hind legs of an animal correctly Inthe stall. The movement and offset of the carrier may be chosen to suitthe position of the store and the handling device.

The handling device may include a teat sensor of an open-jaw sensingarrangement having optical sensing beams directed to cross obliquely.The carrier may include an open-jaw sensing arrangement arranged abovethe gripper, with reference to the upright position, and includingoptical sensing beams directed to cross obliquely, effective to operateby sideways approach to a teat with the sensor above the lower end ofthe teat and the milking apparatus below said lower end.

Conveniently the handling means includes means to position a milkingapparatus holding part to acquire the inverted apparatus and by movementof the holding part to move the acquired apparatus to the uprightposition for application to the animal.

Conveniently the milking apparatus is cleansed in the store in theinverted position to allow drainage.

Preferably said arrangement is at one side of a stall for an animal tobe milked and said store is at the opposite side of said stall and saidhandling means is operable to extend under an animal in said stall toacquire apparatus from said store and retract and move rearwardly of ananimal in said stall for application of said acquired apparatus to saidanimal.

The gripping means may be arranged to carry said apparatus in aretracted mode until an application position is achieved, the meansbeing operable on the achievement of said application position to bringthe apparatus to an active mode for application to an animal.

The invention also provides a method of automatically applying a milkingapparatus to a milk animal including loosely retaining an animal at amilking position, providing a milking apparatus handling devicealongside said position, acquiring with said device from a store abovefloor level a milking apparatus, supporting said apparatus on saiddevice adjacent a teat sensor, offsetting said supported apparatus insaid device, causing or permitting said supported apparatus to approacha selected teat of said animal and be applied to said teat.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a general view of a milking "robot",

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a handling means showing two alternativesettings of the handling means,

FIG. 3 is a side view of part of the handling means in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a typical arrangement.

The general arrangement embodying the invention is a stall in which ananimal, for this example a cow, is loosely retained. Preferably thefront part of the stall floor is higher than that at the rear (e.g. UKpatent application 9022804.0 and PCT patent application GB91/01831incorporated by reference herein) and there is a manger at the front ofthe stall. Feed may be supplied to the manger in a controlled manner,for example an initial quantity followed by small amounts at intervalsso that the head of the animal is attracted to the manger and maintainsa steady position of the whole animal, reducing movement of the udder.An interval of 10 to 15 seconds has been found useful. To one side ofthe stall is an automatic milking apparatus handling device, a "robot",and on the opposite side of the stall is a store for milking apparatus,typically several distinct teat cups. The arrangement is such that therobot can extend across the stall under the animal to acquire aninverted teat cup, turn the teat cup upright and attach the cup to aspecific teat.

Typically the robot can be as illustrated in GB-A-2226941, for exampleas in FIG. 8 included herein as FIG. 1, and have a generally horizontalelongate member supported and controlled to be swingable andlongitudinally displaceable beneath an animal in the stall. FIG. 1 showsthe teat-cup holder of GB-A-2226941 but this is fixed and requires anopening action to receive a teat-cup and is to be considered as fittedwith the arrangements now to be described for the purposes of thefollowing.

At the end of the elongate member is a handling means including agripping means pivoted on an axis inclined to the axis of the elongatemember so that the gripping means can be moved from extending generallyalong the axis of the member to extending generally horizontally and atright angles to the axis of the member by a single pivoting action whichalso inverts the gripping means. The handling means includes an open-jawoptical sensing arrangement associated with the gripping means to detectthe presence of a teat above a teat cup held in the gripping means anddetermine when to raise the teat cup to be then drawn onto the teat inthe conventional way by the vacuum applied to the teat cup. Thisprovides a second, localised, control in addition to the first, general,control provided by sensing means responsive to the movement of theanimal in the stall. The robot operates the elongate member to move thegripping means, in the position (inverted) extending generally along theaxis of the member, to take up an inverted teat cup. The robot thenoperates to move the teat-cup toward the udder and turn the teat cupupright. The action of the pivot mentioned above is to bring the uprightteat cup to one side of the elongate member. This facilitates theapplication of the teat cup to a teat. The exact angle of the pivot axisto the elongate member can be chosen to suit a particular arrangement.In some embodiments to be described below the teat-cups are stored in aposition other than inverted, for example parallel to the floor, butabove the floor to ensure cleanliness. On release from a teat a cup mayfall to the floor but the cup is cleanable, for example by back-flushingand draining or air-blowing, to ensure cleanliness.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a handling means embodying the invention andFIG. 3 shows a side view of part of the handling means in FIG. 2. Thehandling means is on an extension of the elongate member MA in FIG. 1(not shown in FIG. 2) and is supported on the outer end of a tube T witha drive shaft DS, operated by an air motor AM, extending inside thetube. In a preferred arrangement the air motor is inboard of theattachment point of actuators PA2 and PA3 to member MA and tube T iseffectively the greater part of member MA. At the outer end of tube T isa pivot P for gripping means GM and an associated sensing means SMmounted on a gearbox GB. The axis of pivot P is inclined atapproximately 45° to the axis of the elongate member MA, in thehorizontal plane in use, and the pivot carries a slot-ended baseplate BPon which the gripping means and sensing means are carried. The driveshaft DS is connected to the gearbox GB by a universal joint UJ so that,in operation, the air motor can be energised to rotate the baseplateabout the axis of pivot P to move it and the supported elements betweenthe inverted position, indicated at I, and the upright position,indicated at U. In the inverted position the baseplate extends from thetube T approximately in the direction of the tube and in the uprightposition extends at approximately right angles to the direction of thetube. Suitable stops or other devices to control or limit the rotationof the baseplate can be provided.

This simple movement, conveniently called a wrist-action, about a singlepivot provides a robust, economic arrangement which can acquire aninverted teat cup by reaching beneath an animal to a teat cup store andthen turn the teat cup upright and hold it in the appropriate positionfor sideways movement towards the udder. Clearly by simple alterationsof dimensions and angles teat-cups stored in other orientations andpositions can be acquired. Furthermore other equipment than a teat-cupcarrier can be fitted by arranging a plug-in connection to the tube T,and drive shaft DS if required. For example teat inspection and cleaningdevices or other "end-effectors" may be provided so that the arrangementcan carry out various functions at the milking position or such anarrangement can be used before or after the milking position. Thoseskilled in the art will be able to readily produce such adaptions, giventhe guidance in this description.

The gripping means GM is conveniently operated by a pneumatic device PDsupplied by pneumatic supply lines PL to open and close the grippingmeans as required.

The teat cups, one being shown in FIG. 3 at TC, are of generallyconventional form: each having a milking hose MH of the "siamesed" type,combining the pulsator and milk hoses in a single element of generallyfigure-eight cross-section. The store TF, positioned alongside the stallopposite the robot AP as indicated in FIG. 4, carries the teat cups inthe inverted position hanging on the milking hoses. A location flange LFon each teat cup limits the amount by which a teat cup can be drawn intothe store by tension applied to the milking hose. The gripping means GMacquires a teat cup by gripping the cup below, in the inverted sense ofthe cup, the flange LF. When the air motor AM is energised to turn thecup upright the cup can then rest on the baseplate and in the slot endof the plate. This leaves the sensing means to respond to a teat withinthe open-jaw of the sensing means and position the cup below the teat.If required the gripper can be arranged to have different degrees ofgrip so that the height of the cup in the handling means can becontrolled. The robot is then operated to raise the holding means andthus the teat cup towards the teat so that the vacuum applied to the cupcan draw the cup onto the teat. After milking the vacuum can be stoppedto allow the teat cup to fall away from the teat and be withdrawn to thestore by tension on the milking hose applied in any convenient manner.

The sensing means includes a number of optical transmitters andreceivers to provide crossing light beams in the space inside thesensing means which can determine, with suitable circuit means, theposition of a teat in the sensing means so that the teat cup can bemoved below the teat. The beams are conveniently arranged generallydiagonally, apart from one directly across near the open end and onedirectly across near the closed end of the sensing means. There may bethree diagonal beams from each side, inclined at some 60° to the side toform an obliquely crossing pattern. Suitable machining or moulding ofthe housing for the optical devices provides positioning for the devicesat required angles. An important feature is that the sensing means doesnot have moving parts, as hitherto has been the case to enable thesensing means to be opened to allow entry of the teat cup, being anopen-jaw form. Avoidance of moving parts greatly increases reliability,reduces cost and eases cleaning. A separate electrical cable for thesensor signal information is preferred to improve noise resistance.

Reference has been made to other positions for the teat-cup store.Instead of being on the other side of the animal from the robot AP thestore can be on the same side but adjacent the front or hind legs of theanimal and outside the stall. The teat-cups can be stored upright orinverted as preferred and suitable cleaning arrangement provided.Adjustments to the wrist action will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The offset angle may be a right angle and thecarrier may move from a right angle offset to one side of the member toa right angle offset on the other side. The various actions andoperations are regulated by a central controller CC in FIG. 4.

The inverted teat cups hanging in the store relatively free ofobstruction can be cleaned in place by flushing and allowing to drain.No connection other than the milking hose is needed, again simplifyingconstruction and aiding cleanliness particularly as the milkingapparatus is usually allowed to fall to the floor of the stall and thendragged across it. The simple arrangement of the gripping and sensingmeans with a single pivot also assists cleanliness. The open jaw sensorenables the teat-cup to approach at a higher level than when a closedsensor is used. A spray for the udder of the animal may be provided atthe exit from the stall and operated by the animal leaving the stallstepping down form a raised part. This improves spray access.

The techniques described above provide significant improvements in theteat-cup applying a stage of automatic milking by simplifyingconstruction and operation and aiding cleanliness.

We claim:
 1. An arrangement for the automatic application of milkingapparatus to an animal comprising:a milking apparatus store, a milkingapparatus handling device including a milking apparatus carrier movableon the device, and said handling device further including a guidedelongate support member having pivoted at an outward end said carrier inthe form of a teat-cup gripper, the axis of the pivot for the gripperbeing inclined at an angle to the elongate member but generally in thehorizontal plane of the member, and a teat sensor on the handling devicetogether with at least one animal position sensor and a control unitresponsive to the animal and teat sensor to operate the handling device,the arrangement being such that when an animal is sensed to be inmilking position the control unit operates the handling device to takemilking apparatus for a teat of the animal from the store in the carrierto a specific teat with the carrier moved to a sideways offset at aselected angle to the device and the teat sensor in range of the teat.2. An arrangement according to claim 1 characterised in that the carrieris movable to turn a milking apparatus taken inverted to be upright. 3.An arrangement according to claim 1 characterised in that the teatsensor is an open-jaw sensor effective to sense the teat by a sidewaysapproach.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 1 in which said handlingdevice includes a pivot and said carrier is movable about said pivotbetween an inverted and an upright position and operable to acquireinverted milking apparatus from said store and in which said carrier iseffective by a single pivot action both to turn the acquired invertedapparatus upright and to position the upright apparatus offset from thehandling device.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which the angleis approximately 45°.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which thesupport member has at an inboard end a drive for said carrier and adrive shaft within the member to transmit drive to said carrier.
 7. Anapparatus according to claim 1 in which the milking apparatus isindividual teat cups each on a respective milk hose and hung inverted ina store by the milk hose alone and after release retractable into saidstore by pulling with the milk hose.
 8. An apparatus according to claim1 in which the milking apparatus is individual teat cups each on arespective milk hose and held in a store to be above the level of thefloor of a rear part of a stall at the milking position and beneath araised front part of the stall.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 1 inwhich the handling device includes a teat sensor of an open-jaw sensingarrangement having optical sensing beams directed to cross obliquely.10. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which the carrier includes anopen-jaw sensing arrangement arranged above the gripper, with referenceto the upright position, and including optical sensing beams directed tocross obliquely, effective to operate by sideways approach to a teatwith the sensor above the lower end of the teat and the milkingapparatus below said lower end.
 11. An arrangement according to claim 1in which the milking apparatus is held and cleansed in the store in theinverted position to allow drainage.
 12. An arrangement according toclaim 1 for installation at one side of a stall for an animal to bemilked, said store being at the opposite side of said stall, and inwhich said handling device is operable to extend under an animal in saidstall to acquire apparatus from said store and retract and moverearwardly, that is in the head to tall direction, of an animal in saidstall for application of said acquired apparatus to said animal.